THE JEWISH NEWS
Maybe We Can Find More in Our 'Bible'
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July - 20, 1951
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers; Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co , 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE. 8-9364
Subscription $4 a year, Foreign $5.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act-of March 3. 1879
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
yOL. XXVI. No. 18 •
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
Page Four
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January 7, 1955
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
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This Sabbath, the fourteenth day of Tebet„ 5715, the following Scriptural selections will be
- read in our synagogues:
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Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 47:28-50:26. Prophetical portion, I Kings 2:1-12.
Licht Benshen, F riday, Jan. 7, 4.55 p.m.
,
Arabs' Sabre-IL?ftling - Tests Public O pinion
Following upon the heels of the shocking key
e has informed the Arab states that - they.
.call to war by the Syrian Premier, Faris el must collaborate closelY with the rest of the -
Khoury, in an interview t h the Cairo free world in a viable defense of the Middle
weekly newspaper El Musa.wwar, came the East may not have a direct bearing on Arab-
imposition of a "security blackout" of de- Israel relations, it must, in the long run,
tails of arms shipments to Iraq. Under the influence the existing conditions there. A
new ruling, a spokesman for t h e United report to the New York Times by .Welles
States Defense Department stated in Wash- Hangen, its Ankara correspondent, con-
ington, that details concerning arms furnish- tains the following significant information:
ed by our Government to Iraq will not `be
"In an unusual policy statement, Premier
made public. _
Adnan Menderes in effect rejected Egypt's
efforts to persuade Turkey to join a regional
Simultaneous with this report comes
alliance
based on the Arab collective security
word from our JTA correspondent in Wash-
pact 1950. Mr. Menderes served notice he
ington that Arab states had agreed in Cairo
would urge Iraq to join the Turkish-Pakistani
to endeavor separately to obtain free mili-
pact or some other Western-oriented security I
tary aid from the United States, provided
system when he and Fuat Koprulu, the Foreign
they do not enter into commitments inter-
Minister paid an official visit to Baghdad on
Jan. 6.
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fering with Arab security pact obligations.'
D. M. Dunlop, lecturer in Islamic History, Cambridge Univer-
In view of the Syrian Premier's call to arms
"'In the face of realities in the world today,' sity, England, has produced what may well proVe to be tile most
—he was quoted as stating, "let us take
the Premier declared, 'we must say that, until comprehensive "History of the Jewish Khazars," a most scholarly
American arms and attack Israel while we
relations between this region and the rest of volume which has just been issued by Princeton University Press,
can"—it is urgent that our Goernment
the free world reach a stage of close collabora- Princeton, N. J.
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tion., one cannot pretend that security meas
should revise its policy of providing ammuni-
. Mr. Dunlop draws upon all available sources Zor his history=
ures designed to protect the region are suf- Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish and Chinese.
tion to nations whose present leaders have
ficient or serious.
embarked upon a program of destroying
He goes into detail to describe the origin and meaning of the
Israel.
.`,"If today the region enjoys relative secur- word Khazar—hussar from -the Hungarian, the German heretic,
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ity, it owes it to the existence of the North the Turkish to wander or to noinadize, the Russian pigtail, the.
Atlantic Treaty Organization security system, Slavic goat and the Arabic small-eyed; and the pronunciations—
An appeal addressed last week by Dr.
of which Turkey is also a . member.' "
Hebrew Kuzar, Greek Khazaroi, Latin Chazari and another Hebrew
Emanuel Neumann, chairman of the nation-
reference as Kazar or Khazar.
al executive committee of the Zionist Or-
"Mr. Menderes' remarks were interpreted as
conversion of the Khazars to Judaism is traced to the
a reply to recent statements by Premier Carnal year :The
anization of Detroit, to President Eisen-
740. The Spaniard Bakri is quoted as explaining' that this
Abdel
Nasser
and
Major
Salah
Salem,
Egyptian
ower and Secretary of State Dulles "to
Minister of National Guidance, rejecting the conversion followed considerable debate into which were drawn
avert diSaster in the Middle East" and im-
idea of alliance with the West and insisting Christians and Muslims.
mediately to suspend "further shipment of
We are told by the able historian whose story of the Khazars
that
the Arab League play the principal role
military supplies while the re-examination of
in regional defense. Turks have never con- is extensively annotated that "of the fact of the Judaism of the
our policy is taking place," has received the
ceak* their belief that the Arab League 'is a Khazars . .. however much it fell short of complete Rabbinism,
unanimous endorsement of the entire com-
moribund organization dedicated almost ex- there is, in view • of all the evidence, not the slightest doubt
Though it is not desirable to insist on a formal conversion taking
mittee. It has the backing of all American
cluSively to sterile opposition to Israel."
place after a religious debate circa. A. D. 740, as is stated by
Jews and of Christians who are aware of
It is becoming increasingly clearer that Jelnidah ha-Levi—which: remains on his authority and without
the dangers to world peace from the mount-
the rational elements recognize the inten- specific confirmation from elsewhere—that JeWish.influence began
ing Arab war threats.
to be felt in Khazaria before the middle of the 8th century Is
Meanwhile, Jews in several Arab coun- tions of the Arab .Le.ague and refuse to be distinctly more probable than that this was so only after A.D. 860."
partners.
in
a
"deStroy'
israeP
Movement.
tries are living in fear of death. Fantastic
. Thorough review of the work of Jehudah ha-Levi's "the
cnarges
ee ma . against a number Turkey exerts the most WholesOrne effect in khazarT (generally referred to as `,f1Cuiari") and ibn-Tibbon's
efforts to counteract -the destructive anti-
of Jews arrested in Egypt and Lebanon and
"Kuzari" help explain the Hebrew sources with reference to the
there is no security for a Jew in an Arab Israel ovemen . Unfortunately, she now Khazars. We are given an extensive explanation of ha-Levi's -
stands
albne
as
a
sane
political
force.
in
that
story of the Khazars' discussions with Christians and Moslems be-
country.
area. But as long as there is a single fore they turned to the Jews to learn abo4 the Judaism they ac-
In Egypt — where one of the .13 Jews. on entire
such force in - the Middle -East, hope must cepted as their faith.
trial for "espionage" is, longer among
-_be
entertained that peace is attainable for
Reference is made to the Karaite author, Jacob ben-Reuben, .
the living—there have en
,e additional ar-
of the 11th century, who mentioned the convention. of the Kha-
rests. Appeals in defense of the innocently- the good of all concerned.
zars and said that they .form "a single nation, who do not bear the
accused appear to have remained unheeded.
yoke of exile, but are great warriors paying no tribute to the
Christians as well as Jews are joining in
Gentiles." The reference here is to a new Jewish sect that pos-
appeals in -defense of / those on -trial.- In res-
sessed statehood.
ponse to a message from the rabbis in Italy,
From the Cairo Genizah documents, Mr. Dunlop gathers that
The year 1955 begins with encouraging
the Khazars were in existence in the 12thcentury. Belief is ex-
the Federal Council of. Italian Evangelical
There is a deeper interest in our cul- pressed
here that the false Messiah, David El-Roy, "was un..!
Churches has addressed a plea to Egypt in tural efforts. Congregational activities are
behalf of the accused. The rabbis. in their flourishing. And there is an upsurge in Zion- doubtedly a Khazar Jew, who with his supporters came to Ama-
- divah en route for Jerusalem." .
call to' the Christians,_ asked • for aid in "sav
ist efforts.
- Especially interesting is Mr. Dunlop's answer to the question
ing these young people from martyrdom,"
It is to the benefit of Israel that the whether the Jews of eastern Europe, particularly those in Poland,
while denouncing the "methods used by the
descended from the medieval Khazars. His refutation is:
Egyptian ' military court - to extort confes- Zionist movement, regardless of party lines,
"It is of course: plain that the frequency with which a
should possess the strength that is needed blonde, fair-skinned, often blue-eyed type appears among the
for
the
protection
of
the
young
state,
as
well
east European Jews calls to be accounted for, and the most nat-
If, in the faCe of shocking occurences and
threats in. Arab countries, our Government as for the advancement of interest in Jewish ural explanation (widespread intermarriage - with non-Jewish
elements of the population) can only doubtfully be accepted. .
continues to supply arms to sabre-rattling affairs'among the Jews of America.
The
suggestion has seriously been made that the Jewries of
war-mongers, we shall be encouraging in-
Mizrachi's progress has been noted for eastern
Europe were, it not established, at least recruited in
citation to violence and will be parties to
a number of years, thanks to a revitalized substantial 'numbers from Jews from farther east. On the
war-mongering. We join in urging our
leadership. The success of the annual linguistic stile, investigations have tended to -establish the ab-
Government to interrupt the arms ship-
Mizrachi banquet, scheduled for next sence of western influences in Yiddish, though on the other
ments and to pursue earn _ est efforts to end
Tuesday evening, is another indication of hand affinities with German dialects of the east .and south-east
incitations to war. 'We believe that our
the ready response that the religious have been indicated. Historically, apart from the Khazars who
Government has sufficient influence to put
Zionists' appeal is receiving in our com- went to Hungary (where for a time the Magyars are creditably
an end to the type of riot-inciting state-
munity. The Detroit Mizrachi leaders have : said to lave been bilingual, speaking the Khazar language as
ments which have been made by the Syrian
earned hearty commendations for their well as their" own) other important transfers -of population from
former Khazar lands appear to have occurred, especiallly at
Premier. We adhere to the view that our
efforts which, _in turn, inspire activities in the
the
time of the Mongol invasions. In estimating the probability
Government can influence Arab thinking in
behalf of Zionism in other quart2rs.
of the theory we should take into account the description from •
the direction of peace. We pray that this
Similar increases in devotion to the Zion- more than one source of the Khazars as themselves fair, and,
road may be followed and the peace ob-
ist
cause
is in evidence in the ranks of the whether these indications are accurate C.: not,- the undoubted
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jective attained very speedily.
fact that the Khazar empire included men of various races and
Zionist
Organization
of Detroit. ZOD's
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physical
types, am
_ ong• whom no doubt the religion of the rulers
nual Z-Day, set for Jan._16,_is ez(pected to re-
Involved also in the issue of Arab-Israeli sult in an expanded membership. The ZOD's made headway. But to speak of the Jews of eastern Europe as
descendants of • the Khazars seems to involve the Ashkenazim in
relatiOns is a matter of rationality and prac-
renewed interest in the work of the youth, general, .i.e., by far the greater part of the Jewish people in the
ticality in inter-gOverrimental relations. An
the encouragement the local organization is world today, and would be to go much beyond- what our imper-
example of good relations was shown last
giving to the activities of. the Israeli students fect records allow."'
week when Israel reaffirmed her good rela- and fact that the Zionist House is becoming
The Khazars, whose history is closely related to that of Russia,
tions with Turkey by providing the latter a busy center of action for the movement— in the latter's early 1'eginnings, and to the Persians before Islam,
with credit facilities for the expansion of these efforts must redound to the benefit of left an important mark on the trend. in world affairs. Mr. Dunlop
their trade . agreements. Turkey, Israel's
makes this important comment in his introduction: •
the community at large.
"It can scarcely be doubted that but for the existence of the
third largest customer, absorbs 11 per cent
Meanwhile the Labor Zionists are moving Khazars in the region north of the Caucasus, Byzantium, the
of exports of cement, construction materials,
ahead with their Histadrut drive, the res- bulwark of European civilization in the east, would have found
electrical appliances, pharmaceuticals and
automobiles from the Jewish state. ,Similar ponse to the 1955 appeal being better than itself outflanked by the Arabs, and the history of Christendom
and Islam might well have been very different from what we
friendly .relations -'between Israel and Arab in the preceding year.
know."
states could go a long way in, assuring peace
These are good omens, they - indicate
• It is possible, also, that the survival of the Khazars might
for the entire area and in establishing pros
an interest that should help in strengthening have meant the conversion of the world to Judaism. As Mr. Dun-
perity for all.
the hands of Israel's builders. It is all to the lop relates their history, the Khazars emerge as a better "known
. While the report from Ankara that Tur- good.
factor in the records of mankind.
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H sto r y of Jewish Khazars
Shows Impacts on Mankind
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Progress in Zionism
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